Air-ship.



. No. 879,779-f PATBNTBD FEB. 1s, 1908.

E. P. LEEDS.

AIR SHIP. AAPILIOA'FION FILED JULY 5, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/TNESSES BY fl Arron/VHS 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

E. F. LEEDS.

AIR SHIP.

APPLIOA'TION FILED JULY. 1907.

V ATTORNEYS PATENTED PEB.18, 1908. E. F. LEEDS.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W/TNESSES V /NVENTH A TTOHNEYS E. E'. LEEDS.

PATENTED TBB. 18, 1908.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1&907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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. ATTORNEYS EDGAR F. LEEDS, OF MOUNT CARMEL, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lieb. is, leoe.

Application ilecl July 5. 1907. Serial No. 382.262.

To all @rho/niy it may concern:

.Be it known that l, Enoes?. ll. Lianne, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lvlount Carmel, .in the county of l/lfabesh and Ste-toof illinois, have invented new end4 useful lniprovenients in Ainhips, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact desfription. v

This inventionis an improvenwnt in air ships, the purpose of which prin rily is to provide aconstruction having a ocovcsiderable lifting cpaoity incomperison to the power expended in its operation.

l lilith this .object in View l have constructed the ship 'with e. screw or auger which is driven by e, suitable ineens, Las an electric motor or turbine engine, und operates preferebly as the/solel means for lifting and driving the ship in its 'flight- A car is suspended from one end of the screw, from which the relative direction and inclination of the screw may be controlled by a rudder having al universel connection at the rear end of the s n l ltleference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 -is a side elevationv of the ship complete as'it appears in iiight; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section through the lifting and propelling screw on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is asectional view through the angular frame at the rear of the ship, illustrating the mechanisn'i by which the rudder is'controlled; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the car and supporting frame on anl enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectioned view of the motor and rudder, together with the inter'- mediate connecting mechanism; Fig. 6 is a plan 4ofthe rudder, and Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the parts in the positions assumed when the air ship is rising or et rest.

f In the construction of my improved air ship, l em loy a substantially but lightly constructe .screw or auger consisting of s central shaft or spindle 10 concentrically supporting a spiral blade 11 ythrough the interniediary of radiating rods or s okes 12. The blade 11 is preferably remove from thecenter of the screwi immediately surrounding.

the shaft 10, leavin a central opening therethrough which is c osed et the lforward end of the screw by a 'conical cap or hood 13, the

'same being supported at its center by the forward extremity of the shaft 1() or other suitable means, and toting` to partially overcome -atmosplierical resistance when the ship is-in ilighi'. Said cap or hood 13 also serves to prevent the air compressed. by the spiral blade 11 from finding exit atthat end, thereby assisting in driving the ship forward.

ln order that Athe air encounteredin the revolution of the screw may be enforced to travel throughout its entire length and not be thrown oil' at. the sides, the screw is in.- closed by *a cylinder or drum 14 of some light material, which is in xed relation thereto.

Journeled at the rear end of the screw on the shaft 10 is a motor-casing 15, which may inclose either the rotor of an electric motor or Athe blades of a turbine engine, the same being affixed directly `to the' shaft 10. ln the present instance l have @shown the screw driven by an electric motor, which may be opllvotally suspended from the motor-cas` ing is a depending bar 17 centrally passing frame 18, the letter having a diagonally ein tending base-bar 19 to whichV the under fece of a car v2() is revolubly sup orted, as'bythe hangers 21. Said pyramidal .car frame 18 also serves to support theshi when et rest.

A slot 22 formed in the oor of the car longitudinally of the ship receives the lower end of the bar 17 and dinal irection; this rocking movement being preferably controlled bythe operation of a hand-wheel 23 which Ais aflixed to e shaft 261A journaled in suitablebearings carre`d 'by the bar'l, the shaftbeing provided with a worm 25 in mesh with a worm-wheel 26, the latter being` affixed on' a'oommon shaft with a sprocket-wheel 27 which is-enf gaged by a chain 28 attached et its free ends to the opposite sides of the car. ent from this construction that shoul `the car be carried from an approximately horizontal position during the ght ofthe ship, as by`W1nd pressure, it may be againbrou t back by Swingin the oer Within the frame.

Attached to t 'e motor-casing in addition to the car is an upwardly projecting angular vides bearings for e horizontal and a vertical sheft 30 and 31, respectively. The shsft 30 carries a worm-wheel 32 preferably atene erated from any suitable source of electrical supply passing through thc conductors 16;.

through and alixed to a ygiyramidalfcarl y ermits of a limited rockin movement of t e car in a longitu-g frame 29 whchis'rigidly'bracedand pro etv ltisa parlhand-wheel or other operating handle 34.

The shaft 31 carriesat its lower end. a

bevelzgear 36 in mesh with a similar gear 37 aiiixe to a horizontal shaft 38, best shown in Fig. 3. The shaft 38 is journaled in bearings supported from the frame 29 and carries a worm-wheel 39 in mesh with a worin affixed to a depending rod or shaft 40 which also extends within'convenient reach of the car 2O where it is provided with a hand-y wheel or other operating handleq 41.

Near the center, and at the rear side of the frame 29, a socket 42 is secured, which envelops the spherical inner end of a shaft 43, forming the stem of the ships rudder,l the same being composed of tWoblades 44 and 45, respectivel which intersect each other at substantialisj;T right-angles, the blade 44 bein connected at the opposite sides of the rud elf-stem With cables 46 which arel reversel wound about the vertical shaft 31, where y upon the operation of this shaft b the revolutiony ofthe hand-Wheel 41, the ru( der will be caused to move in a vertical plane about the ball and socket or universal Joint as a center.

The. blade 45 is attached at the op osite side to the rudder-stem, as shown in ig. 6, by cables 47 whichare -reversely wound upon the horizontal shaft 30, and serve to cause the movement of the rudder from side to side throu h the operation of the. hand- Wheel 34. f desired, the stem 43 of the rudder may be extended beyond the rear end thereof andconnected with the pyramidal car frame 18 by a .cable 48, which serves to keep the auger or screw 11 in a vertical position when at rest or to lower it to a horizontal position, and is not used when the air ship is in iii ht. The e 'p as shown and described while being the preferred practical lembodiment of my invention, may obviously be variously modified in the details of construction without departing from the nature of my invention as defined in the claims annexed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an air ship a propellin screw, a c .linder in xed relation to an( inclosin t e screw,l and a car suspended from one en of the screw havin means for varying the an lar position o the screw and cyhnder wit respect thereto.

2. In an air ship, a propellin means comrising a driving-shaft, a c ylin er surroundlng the driving-shaft and rigidl therewith, a spiral blade in fixed relation to the cylinder with the portion thereof adiacent to the driving-shaft being removed whereby an n n-- nular opening surrounding the driving-shaft is provided, and aiconical cap at the forward end of the cylinder covering saidopening.'

' 3.- In an air ship, -a propelling screw composed of a central shaft having a spiral blade affixed thereto, a cylinder rigidly-secu'red4 to and surrounding said iblade -a car pivotally`T suspended from one uend of means for varying theangular position of ile shaft, blade and cylinder with respect to 4. In an air ship, a screw,'a frame pivotally supported from the screw,I a canpivoted at its bottom within the'frame, and means for 'regulating the relative inclinationA of the car with respect to the frame.

5. In an airship, a propelling screw, a

motor having a casing journaled at one end of the scr w, ayraniidal frame pivotally suspended from t e casing, aud a car rocking y mounted within the frame.

6. In an air ship, a propellin screw com?. prising a shaft having a spiral lade aiiixed thereto with a cylinder rigidly secured to and surroundin said blade, a motor having a casing journale near one end of said shaft, a frame pivotally suspended from said casing, a car supported within said frame, and

means for varying the angular position-of said shaft and the blade and cylinder carried thereby with respect to said frame.

7. In an air ship, a propellin screw, a motor including a casing journa ed at one end of said screw, a pyramidal framepivotally suspended from the casin of the motor,

and a car supported withint e frame, having a limited thereto.`

8. In an air ship, a screw, a motor includin a casing carried by the screw, a p amida framevpivot'ally suspended from t e casing, having a diagonal base-bar, a car piv-I otally supported on said bar, a fiexible eqnnection attached to the opposite sides of said car, and means for operating said connection to tilt the car on said bar.

9. In an air' ship, a propelling screw, a bar pivotal movement with respect pivotally suspended from said-screw, 'a pyramidal frame rigidly attached to said bar, a car supported within said frame, having a limite pivotal movement with respect thereto, a fiexible connection attached at the `op posite sides of the car, and "means for o er- `a`ting said connection. from the car to ti t it with respect to said frame. 10. In an air shi a screw, a frame carried at the rear en oiv said screw, a rudder iro having a universal connection with said frame, a car pivotally suspended from the screw, and means for moving the rudderin a vertical and in a horizontal plane from said car'. I.

' 11. In an air ship, a propelling screw, `a

motor including a journaled on said screw, a frame rigidly attached to the motor casin a rudder composedof two intersecting b ades, having a" universal connection with said frame, shafts journaled at right# a les to eachother in said frame, cables attac ed at the oppositesides tothe' blades of* the rudder and reversely wound about said shafts, a car pivotally suspended' fromtli'e motor casing, and means for operating saidl shaftsfromlthe car.l

12. In lan air ship', apropelling'scrw', a cylinder surrounding and in fixed relation to said screw, a motor ineludingaasing journaled near one end ofthescrew, a pyramidalifame pivotally suspended from ,the casina, a oar supported withnsaid frame, having va limited pivotal movement With respect l thereto, a -ru der supported from the motor casing, means for controllingr the rudder from i said car,and means for tilting the car with' respect to said frame operable therefrom.

, 13. In an air ship, a propelling screw comprising a central shaft carryin a spiral blade,v said blade having a centra opening sur- Vsind screw, a motor including' a casing jornaled -on the rear end of the screw, a frame-p1vot .plprted within the frame, a ru rounding said shaft, a conical cap coveringk 25 opening at the. forward end'mf the.

trollin the rudder from said car. l

'14h-f nan air ship, a ropelling screw, a

' ,cylinder'snrrounding sai serewga motorfor 'oper-atingy the screw, a rudder supported 85 from, the motor, a car pivotally supported from the screw, means for tilting the car relatively to said screw independent of 'said' pivotal sup ort, and means for controlling the rudder om the car. 40 In testimony whereof I -havesigxied my name to 'this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDGAR F. LEEDS.

Witnesses :1, l y

ALVIN B1: DELL, FANNIE GoFoRTH.

su ported s0 

